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Range Extender always with zero devices connected

Range Extender always with zero devices connected

Range Extender always with zero devices connected
Range Extender always with zero devices connected
3 weeks ago - last edited a week ago
Model: RE200   Archer AX72  
Hardware Version: V1
Firmware Version: 1.2.6

I have an Archer A72 and an extender RE200 configured to work with OneMesh but no device is ever connected to my range extender. The extender is half-way through the devices an the main router but still no device ever connects to it.

 

More details about the situation:

- The AX72 is centrally located in my house but one bedroom is getting worst network quality. The bedroom is not far (10 meters in straight line) but there are walls and obstacles, so the signal drops significantly (several dBs according to WiFi Analyzer). That drop causes significant reductions in speed: from about 500Mbps close to the main wi-fi to about 100Mbps in the specific bedroom. Video calls and streaming are suffering.

- The range extender RE200 was installed half-way through the bedroom and the AX72 router. It's not super close to the router but it's definately much closer to the devices in the bedroom.

- There are always at least 3 devices in the bedroom most of the time: a streaming device, a computer and a smartphone.

 

Things I've checked/tried so far:

- The extender was added to the OneMesh network using the instructions to pair by pressing the WPS button on both.

- The Smart Connect option was enabled on the main router.

- The range extender is able to connect to the main network both in 2.4 and 5Ghz networks.

- The High Speed Mode was configured to Auto on the range extender.

- The wi-fi channel in the main router was configured to 48, which should be supported by the extender.

- Both the router and the extender have been upgraded to the latest firmware available.

 

Unnaceptable changes for my setup:

- I cannot reduce the wi-fi power from my main router to reduce the range and force devices to connect to the extender. That would require adding extenders to other points of the house, which is unnaceptable.

- I cannot disable wi-fi6 on the main router. I need the performance of wi-fi6 to support multiple devices.

- Disabling the OneMesh is also not acceptable. I want EasyMesh to work. Manually changing networks is not acceptable for me.

 

Any other recommendations? So far, the range extender has provend to be useless and I cannot understand why. I need help trying to find why the extender is not working properly.

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#1
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1 Accepted Solution
Re:Range Extender always with zero devices connected-Solution
a week ago - last edited a week ago

After a few attempts, I made progress on this issue. 

I have some hypothesis but I don't have detailed "whys" to explain how the fixes addressed the issue.

Here is what I've done:

- Disabled the Smart Connect on the main router and created different names for 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz networks.

- Configured most of the devices to use only the 5Ghz network. 2.4Ghz was left only for specific devices.

- Removed and added the range extender to the mesh network, with EasyMesh enabled.

- On the QoS pannel, disabled the high-priority setting for all the devices.

 

With that combination of settings, devices are now seamlessly changing between the main router and the range extender.

 

I had expectations of better network speeds from the extender (around 50mpbs most of the time). Even so, the connection is stable and with low latency, which is good enough for most of the usage.

 

With all that, the initial problem is solved.

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#6
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5 Reply
Re:Range Extender always with zero devices connected
2 weeks ago

  @davidtiago 

Hi, Thank you very much for the feedback.

For the three mobile clients(a streaming device, a computer and a smartphone), if you turn off/off WiFi, will they be able to reconnect to RE200?

By the way, Do you check the connected clients of RE200 via its web interface or Tether APP?

 

When Archer AX72 and RE200 are establishing an OneMesh network, the mobile clients need to select a preferred signal out of 2 same SSIDs. Some devices that don't support seamless roaming, might stick to the wirelss network of the main router since it has less lantency. I still wish you could disable the "OneMesh" just to test whether the current issue is related to the Mesh technology.

 

Thanks again and best regards.

Deco Monthly Recap- Check What's Currently Going on With Deco Deco X50/X55_V1_1.6.0 Open for Test! Try to leave a Message if urgent help is required.
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Re:Range Extender always with zero devices connected
2 weeks ago

  @David-TP 

 

Thanks for your reply.

 

About your comments:

 

For the three mobile clients(a streaming device, a computer and a smartphone), if you turn off/off WiFi, will they be able to reconnect to RE200?
I tried to disable/enable wi-fi multiple times on these devices. I even forgot the network setup and configured it again on these devices. They didn't connect to the repeater in any of the cases.

 

Some devices that don't support seamless roaming, might stick to the wirelss network of the main router since it has less lantency.

The lack of support for seamless roaming could explain why the mobile devices don't switch networks when I am moving around the house, but shouldn't be a problem to a static computer, should it?

 

I still wish you could disable the "OneMesh" just to test whether the current issue is related to the Mesh technology.

By disabling OneMesh you mean setup RE200 as a regular extender with a different network name? I tried that and it worked fine: the devices were able to connect to the new network properly. Unfortunately, that doesn't solve my problem since the switch between the wi-fi network would become manual.

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#3
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Re:Range Extender always with zero devices connected
2 weeks ago - last edited 2 weeks ago

  @davidtiago 

Hi, Thanks for the feedback.

Have you checked the wireless speed on the static computer when it is connected to Archer AX72 and RE200 individually?

 

I saw quite a few similar feedback on the Deco Mesh system and there is also a FAQ that explained this issue:

Why my clients don't roam/connect to the nearest Deco node?

In a WiFi Backhaul Mesh system, due to the working pattern and protocol/regulation of Wi-Fi technology, the more wireless hops, the slower the speed would be. So the satellite/extender units often provide less internet than main router. For your case, I think the static computer might be able to get higher download from the AX72 than RE200 while the received wireless signal strength from both AX72 and RE200 is still within the threshold. It is quite like the computer would prefer 5Ghz band to 2.4Ghz from the AX72.

Thanks and Best regards.

Deco Monthly Recap- Check What's Currently Going on With Deco Deco X50/X55_V1_1.6.0 Open for Test! Try to leave a Message if urgent help is required.
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#4
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Re:Range Extender always with zero devices connected
2 weeks ago - last edited 2 weeks ago

  @David-TP 

 

Thanks for your follow up. A few comments:

 

Have you checked the wireless speed on the static computer when it is connected to Archer AX72 and RE200 individually?

The static computer is marking about 150mpbs when connected to the 5Ghz network from the main router. When connected to extender without OneMesh enabled, download speeds are floating around 60/70mpps.

The main problem when connected to main router are fluctuations. Network speeds and latency are fluctuating. During video calls, for instance, it's common to see drops and freezes. I need a more stable connection, even if it means slower speeds.

 

I saw quite a few similar feedback on the Deco Mesh system and there is also a FAQ that explained this issue:

Why my clients don't roam/connect to the nearest Deco node?

I didn't find these topics during my previous search. I'll take a look to see if I get any insights.

 

In a WiFi Backhaul Mesh system, due to the working pattern and protocol/regulation of Wi-Fi technology, the more wireless hops, the slower the speed would be. So the satellite/extender units often provide less internet than main router. For your case, I think the static computer might be able to get higher download from the AX72 than RE200 while the received wireless signal strength from both AX72 and RE200 is still within the threshold. It is quite like the computer would prefer 5Ghz band to 2.4Ghz from the AX72.

That's true, the computer gets faster download speeds from the main router, but that's not what I was expecting. I was expecting more stable connections.

 

Overall, this has been quite a frustrating experience with TP-Link products. The range extender promises extender coverage and solid speeds. None of those have happened so far.

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Re:Range Extender always with zero devices connected-Solution
a week ago - last edited a week ago

After a few attempts, I made progress on this issue. 

I have some hypothesis but I don't have detailed "whys" to explain how the fixes addressed the issue.

Here is what I've done:

- Disabled the Smart Connect on the main router and created different names for 5Ghz and 2.4Ghz networks.

- Configured most of the devices to use only the 5Ghz network. 2.4Ghz was left only for specific devices.

- Removed and added the range extender to the mesh network, with EasyMesh enabled.

- On the QoS pannel, disabled the high-priority setting for all the devices.

 

With that combination of settings, devices are now seamlessly changing between the main router and the range extender.

 

I had expectations of better network speeds from the extender (around 50mpbs most of the time). Even so, the connection is stable and with low latency, which is good enough for most of the usage.

 

With all that, the initial problem is solved.

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#6
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Replies: 5

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